Strategic Human Resource Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Strategic Human Resource Management - Essay Example Horizontal fit refers to the congruence among various HRM practices (Baird & Meshoulam, 1998), and vertical fit refers to the alignment of HRM practice with strategic management process of the firm (Schuler & Jackson, 1987)†. Several approaches have been developed to strategic international human resource management and each of these has their own advantages and disadvantages. The following section will detail the various approaches and aims to compare and contrast these approaches. Approaches to Strategic International Human Resource Management: There are four main approaches to strategic international human resource management. These include: a) Strategy Focused Approach: Some authors are of the view that human resource management and strategic HRM are the same. Authors believe that the nature of HRM is strategic (Dowling, Festing, & Engle, 2007). However this view has not been clearly accepted by a number of authors and it is believed that strategic human resources and HRM a lthough might be similar in a few aspects are not the same. This approach focuses on the strategy based view. b) Decision Focused Approach: Authors like Tichy et al express that there are three main levels of management. These they explain include, the long term, i.e. strategic, medium term, i.e. managerial and the short term, i.e. operational (Dowling, Festing, & Engle, 2007). Authors believe that the functions of human resources that are completed at strategic level together form strategic international human resource management. However there have been arguments that the managerial or also the operational level of human resource functions are more so the... This paper stresses that several approaches have been developed to strategic international human resource management and each of these has their own advantages and disadvantages. The following section will detail the various approaches and aims to compare and contrast these approaches. This report makes a conclusion that some approaches clearly include different views of the organization and also take into account different aspects of the organization which help give rise to the strategic human resource planning. Here it is important to note that although most of these are interlinked the main difference among them is the nature of the approach. Each approach takes into account various elements of business and on how the strategic international human resource management is developed within the organization. The author talks that it is also important to note here that these approaches are based on six main elements which include, a) The transformation of the human resource staff and structure, b) improving the overall administrative efficiency, c) creating a sync between human resource and strategic planning process of the organization, d) creating a fit between the human resources practices and the business strategy itself, e) taking into account the impact of the human resources on the business and also f) development of relationship with the line management. These elements clearly indicate all the areas that together help in the development of Strategic International Human Resource Management. Although all the approaches might be different and might undertake different areas to develop the human resource management, the main crux of all the approaches is clearly the above mentioned six elements.